Nativity

While in Hawaii recently, I had a chance to preview The Nativity Story, in its complete form, which, surprisingly, turned out to be quite a good film. I guess as a Christian, I am going to be seen as biased. And that's fair, however as a filmmaker as well, I will say that the majority of Christian or Christian based films I have seen are quite simply lower grade movies. That's why, this one in particular was very refreshing.

The story itself of course I was familiar with having grown up hearing it every Christmas time. And, surprisingly, I think it translates very well onto the screen. I was surprised at the humour they were able to bring out (mainly with the Three Kings storyline) and I was actually quite impressed with the movie in general. It was nice to see actors of the correct age and race. Jesus was not white, despite what some may say.

The movie was not perfect, few are. It was obviously PG friendly as there were a few things that were toned down (I guess babies in that day didn't have umbilical cords), but do we really need to see that? No, not really. All in all it was a very enjoyable film that hopefully makes its way as a holiday classic for years to come.

This is no low budget made for TV, direct to DVD, or "preaching to the choir" type film. Quite the contrary. Like Mel Gibson's The Passion, The Nativity Story delivers the quality acting, cinematography, musical score, special effects, direction, sound, production, etc. we've grown accustomed to receiving from the most skillful members of the Motion Picture industry.

I was particularly appreciative of the way phrases in the Bible which can often be overlooked like, "Joseph...not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly." came to life on film. We see just how they would have very likely played out in the very personal lives and communities this all took place in. I found the scene riveting when Joseph labors to come up with that initial plan to send her away, and then announces it to Mary and her parents who are there with him. Also, the courage and faith needed by Joseph and Mary to believe God took on a whole new understanding when seeing how the culture they likely lived in brought intense pressures which would have very well been cause to shrink away in fear in the face of had not they obeyed the angel's charges to "do not be afraid."

A real strength of the film, I believe, was in how scenes that were straight from the Bible either used the words of the Bible practically verbatim, or at least there was just unspoken acting out the heart of the scene, with little to no unnecessary additions to the Biblical account. This, I believe, let's the Bible speak for itself for the most part and for that I send a big thank you to Mike Rich as the screenplay writer in getting to the heart of the personal lives of those involved in Jesus' conception and birth while seeking to be true to the text's original meaning. And to Catherine Hardwicke and all others involved in getting the Biblical account onto this media with all their professional skills, I say thanks as well. I'd love to see many more "Accounts" (the connotation of the word "Story" weakens the impact in my mind...but that's just me) from the Bible put to film by this great team assembled to produce The Nativity (Story).

A deeply moving movie experience. Slow yes, but then this is not our usual brain numbing mindless action flick. It's about human emotions and inner conflicts, and what a fine way to portray the same on screen.

A vastly underrated film that is sure to touch your heart the same way Shawshank Redemption did. A must watch for every serious movie lover and a definite must watch for a devout Christian.

Note: I am not a Christian and I still find this movie worthy of a repeat viewing. This movie, like Shawshank Redemption is all about Faith, Hope and Love. ...and believing.

I was watching this movie just a little after MIDNIGHT and it was raining heavily with heavy flashes of Lightning and huge/loud rolls of Thunder. This effect enhanced the overall "atmosphere" of my movie watching experience, ...and hard to believe, but the whole rain, lightning & thunder thing stopped as the movie wound to an end :-)

If you believe that Mary, Joseph, the baby Jesus and everyone else in the actual events were white, Anglo-Saxon Europeans living in Central Park in New York or in California, you will be disappointed with this movie. If you want to see how people really appeared, lived and responded to the actual culture in Israel at the time of the birth of Christ, this is a work of art.

"The Nativity" is an excellent depiction of the actual events as we know them from the Bible. While it has very minor "flaws", these are buried under the number of things that make this film accurate and authentic.

Mary does not wear her piety on her sleeve and get hysterical and dramatic at every turn in the story. Instead she is accurately portrayed and played as a simple peasant girl in a very traditional culture with strict rules of behavior. She responds hesitantly but with faith to the events that focus on her.

Joseph is equally realistic as a young peasant just beginning life, and any man who has ever faced marriage for the first time will appreciate the dilemmas facing Joseph and his reactions to them.

Herod is an historically-accurate and ruthless jerk, but the movie does not overdo his part. The balance is just right; he's on camera enough to convey his wickedness and his part in the plot, but not enough to distract from the message.

The wise men are great! Instead of being simple plastic figures in a nativity scene on your mantle, they really come to life, add a lot of context to the movie, and provide a lot of information about how and why things happened as they did. The timing of the wise men's arrival may be off - but no one is 100% certain when they did arrive so this is not a big deal.

When the shepherds are visited by an angel to announce the birth of Christ, the angel is not followed visibly by "a heavenly host praising God" - but you can hear them.

I could go on and on and on, but the point is that this is an excellent depiction of events that occurred in Israel 2,000 years ago. If you want to learn about and marvel at what life was really like at that time, see the movie. It will bolster your faith. If you want to see Adam Sandler playing a Jewish Santa Claus to celebrate Christimas, this is probably not the movie for you.

As a Catholic/Christian publisher I did not expect the integrity that the movie The Nativity Story presents. The story is produced with good taste and careful thought. At times the Scripture may be bent but it is never broken. The bends are simply to aid in the visual telling of the story and are not offensive.

I found it to be very good family viewing with minimal violence and the scenes were not graphic in nature. The lesson in family love alone is worth the price of a ticket. The bonus is the lesson in faith and trust in God. I would encourage you to take children of all ages.

The theology should be acceptable to all Christians. However, I did talk to one priest that had a problem with the childbirth scene. He subscribes to the theology that Mary's childbirth was not painful. I understand his theology but I disagree with it on the grounds of Jesus and Mary's humanity. Also the arrival of the Wise Men at the time of the birth though not correct does not hurt the story. Still I feel that these small problems would be a poor and unjust reason not to see, or tell others not to see this movie.

Of all the versions of this story that have been done I found it to be the most inspiring and visually the most tastefully done. At last we have a great family movie that puts Christ back into Christmas.

Executive Director Contemplation Corner Press